... before and found them to be very good... seemingly only charging "cost price" or thereabouts for texts and postage.

I've ordered Wisdom Publications translations of certain Nikayas (as translated by Bodhi, Nanamoli, Walshe) from Amazon because for texts like that, the discount offered by Amazon was enough to offset their ridiculous postage rates to Australia.

Where do you get yours?

Metta,Retro.

If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding: Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga)

Exalted in mind, just open and clearly aware, the recluse trained in the ways of the sages:One who is such, calmed and ever mindful, He has no sorrows! -- Udana IV, 7

How do you order books from Santikaro, and know what they have available?

Metta,Retro.

If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding: Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga)

Exalted in mind, just open and clearly aware, the recluse trained in the ways of the sages:One who is such, calmed and ever mindful, He has no sorrows! -- Udana IV, 7

I get mine from Wisdom books (not the publisher) in the uk mainly, http://www.wisdom-books.com/but quite often I get free books from monestaries I visit, and as gifts, but nowadays I tend to not bother unless it is a book I want, such as a comentary or something I mainly focus on the Suttas which I have for the most part!

This offering maybe right, or wrong, but it is one, the other, both, or neither!Blog,-Some Suttas Translated,Ajahn Chah."Others will misconstrue reality due to their personal perspectives, doggedly holding onto and not easily discarding them; We shall not misconstrue reality due to our own personal perspectives, nor doggedly holding onto them, but will discard them easily. This effacement shall be done."

I have found from my own readings, that the cheaper the book, the better the quality.

The usual thinking in this day and age is that you get what you pay for, but with the Dhamma it is different. Some authors who charge hefty fees are making a living off the selling of Dhamma. Some will even gloss over the material and 'save' some info for later books.

Free books on the other hand, are usually written by bhikkhus and bhikkhunis (and sometimes some lay people who make a living in other ways) who have only good intentions and want to teach and spread Dhamma. They pour their hearts into the books they write and do not try to 'leave anything behind' for publishing in some later book. They usually try to write the book so that the complete Dhamma is presented in one book and in readable language.

The only exception would be direct sutta translations, which because of their size must be at the higher prices, but they are worth it, such as the Wisdom publications of the Canon by Bhikkhu Bodhi.

For those in N. America this is a good source: http://www.pariyatti.org/ But I also make use of abebooks, amazon & several comparision shopping engines like addall or fetchbook etc. to get the cheapest.

This noble eightfold path is the ancient path traveled by all the Buddhas of eons past. Nagara Sutta

Mostly I get used books from my local used book store. Every once in a while there's a gem waiting to be discovered. For example, I have found books such as the Samyutta Nikaya, Muller's Vinaya Texts, the Visuddhimagga, the Vibhanga, the Abhidhamma Sangaha, Nyanaponika Thera's The Life of the Buddha, Nanananda Bhikkhu's The Magic of the Mind, and Prof. Gombrich's Theravada Buddhism: A Social from Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo all at the used book store. I missed out on the Jataka with commentary, though. Too expensive at the time.

I remember about 20 years ago sending a cheque in US dollars to BPS Kandy and waited several years for my books to arrive. It was an exercise in patience! I finally plucked up the courage and sent a letter asking what happened whereupon they promptly sent one back telling me that the post office returned the parcel, despite my redirection notice at the post office!In the last few years I have purchased most of my books via www.dhammabooks.com in Australia where I've developed a bit of a relationsip with the owners who are good people providing an excellent service. I ordered Gombrich's 'How Buddhism Began' from an Indian clearinghouse and it arrived in record time. While I have not used them, I would not hesitate to also use www.pariyatti.org or go direct to BPS or other publishers. Occassionally its worthwhile investigating amazon as they do stock out-of-print second-hand books.Cheers

Ben

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Ben wrote:I remember about 20 years ago sending a cheque in US dollars to BPS Kandy and waited several years for my books to arrive. It was an exercise in patience!

It's much easier now... BPS take PayPal.

Metta,Retro.

If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding: Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga)

Exalted in mind, just open and clearly aware, the recluse trained in the ways of the sages:One who is such, calmed and ever mindful, He has no sorrows! -- Udana IV, 7

Forest Sangha Publications - http://fsbooks.org will send any book in their list free of charge (at least in UK as they are coming from Amaravati). But you do have the opportunity to make a donation online as able.As I actually prefer the teachings of the Thai Forest Tradition, this is great for me, but all can benefit from their teachings, whatever lineage, or none, you follow.

Metta

Andy BarnesMy comments are by nature, subjective interpretations from my mind. As such, they are never wrong, They are as they are. They are never right, They are as they are.

Most of mine (and I have to say I don't buy many ) come to me from second-hand bookshops. I have bought a few others direct from Shambhala - http://www.shambhala.com - taking full advantage of their discounts (e.g. 30% off for signing up to their newsletter) to make up for the postage cost.

Something that no-one has mentioned so far is that many of these sites and publishers are funded by donations (and some of them by donations from people poorer than most of us are) so donating to the publishers would be a good thing to do if we can afford it.